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| Today's Relaxed Trailblazers |
There were only six of us today, on a beautiful sunny day, making the drive to Anacortes (a 45-minute trip) for a visit to Sugarloaf Mountain from Heart Lake. I've done this many times, usually all the way to the top of Mt Erie as well, but since this is the "relaxed" group, we only navigated around six miles and around a thousand+ feet up and down.
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| Heart Lake through the trees |
We circumnavigated Heart Lake before heading up to Sugarloaf. I have never before done this route through the Anacortes Community Forest Lands (ACFL). I was happy to be out and enjoying the delightful weather and basically well-maintained trails. Without Owen and his map to guide us, we would have been lost in no time.
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| Signs well camouflaged |
Owen stopped ofen to check his map with the numbers on the signs, to make sure we didn't make any wrong turns. (We did have to backtrack a short distance once.) It was mostly gentle ups and downs until we started our climb to Sugarloaf, which was very steep and seemed like it went on forever. It only seemed that way.
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| Magnificent old cedar tree |
On the way, we encountered many beautiful old trees like this one. Don stood in front to give you an idea of its size. As we hiked, the sun made its way through the forest and onto the trail. Hiking uphill and having sun made us finally able to shed some of our clothing.
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| The view from Sugarloaf |
You can see some of the San Juan islands from Sugarloaf. It is a really beautiful place to visit. We stopped here for almost an hour to enjoy a leisurely lunch before heading back. Owen took us back on a different route than the one we took as we ascended. We were able to look out at the view as we ate our lunch, and this was pretty spectacular. I asked Don for a picture of me to cap off the day's enjoyment, and he obliged.
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| Me on Sugarloaf |
Now that I am home, after having had such a good day, I can kick back in my easy chair and take it nice and slow for the rest of the day. Thanks to everyone who helped make today such a success!
:-)
This sounds like a great hike on a beautiful day. Doesn’t get much better than that, Jan!
ReplyDeleteA couple of great views. The giant tree and the sea below.
ReplyDeleteGlad you had such a nice day hiking, DJan. The sunshine, sky, trees, and water (as well as friends) make for a lovely day.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, those shots of the lake stole the show.
ReplyDeleteMust be nice to have a smaller hiking group sometimes. Looks like a beautiful day! :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful views from Sugarloaf, DJan!
ReplyDeleteLooks like the perfect day for a hike. I'm glad you are able to go home and just sit down after these hikes, BUT I'm wondering when you ever get chores done? Or, do YOU have staff that allows for these all-day trips away?
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect spot to have lunch. The views are fabulous and being able to feel some warmth from the sun just makes it perfect.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a great hike - nice view, nice big tree, nice pic of you!
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing that photo of you on the hike, DJan. You look wonderful and so in shape. Sigh... I need to walk more.
ReplyDeleteNice photo of you! Looks like a wonderful outing! Happy Spring!
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